The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy released its fourteenth annual Virginia Economic Forecast last week . It was again authored by Dr. Christine Chmura and her team at Chmura Economics & Analytics of Richmond, the state’s leading private economic consulting company. With Virginia facing the brunt of the federal...
While Virginia’s political class – new and used – tries to make sense of what happened in on June primary elections for both Republicans and Democrats, let’s just get some things out of the way early. This was NOT a repudiation of House Bill 2313 that raised revenue to fund...
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon have the chance to improve opportunities for Americans and protect our representative democracy when it decides a case involving the gargantuan power grab by the federal bureaucracy. America’s new competitive manufacturing advantage, utilizing our plentiful natural gas, coal and oil, will be negated by...
No one likes paying for parking, but the prospect of parting with a buck or two is nothing compared to the hassle of rummaging through your pockets, in your glove compartment or under the floor mats for stray coins. The only thing worse is worrying about your time expiring, dashing...
(This column first appeared in Surface Transportation Innovations.) For the last several years, popular media have featured articles about “peak car” and the recent decline of vehicle miles of travel (VMT) in developed countries. The anti-auto group PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) made a big splash last month, when their...
(This article first ran in thehill.com on April 11, 2013.) Ever since the Virginia Company was founded in Jamestown in 1607, America has been the land of opportunity for generations of immigrants, who often risked everything to strive for their American Dream. America must continue to be a magnet for...
(Part 1 of this article ran in the May 2nd edition of the Jefferson Policy Journal – here.) Recent progress toward cost-saving reforms is bringing Virginia closer to the conditions the governor and legislature have set for participating in the nationwide Medicaid expansion authorized in 2010 by the Patient Protection...
The unemployment rate in the Richmond metro area drifted down to 5.6% in March. That’s better than the national average of 7.6%, but the economy has a way to go before it is fully recovered from the last recession. Employment in the Richmond metro area stood at 628,800 in March—still...
Neighbors and environmental groups in many states are filing complaints in local courts regarding odors emanating from dairy, cattle, poultry, and swine operations. The complaints frequently claim the animal operations or concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are creating public and private nuisances (odors) because the operations are run in a...
(This article first ran in Surface Transportation Innovations.) Transportation is not an end in itself; it’s a means to other ends, such as getting to and from work. Taking this point to heart, a growing number of researchers in recent years have promoted the concept of “access” as being more...
